More than two decades after Aaliyah’s death, a family lawsuit is still making headlines.
Barry Hankerson, the late singer’s uncle, claims his son, Jomo Hankerson, was supposed to arrange the singer’s transportation while she was in the Bahamas in August 2001 but did not complete the job, according to documents obtained by TMZ.
Aaliyah was returning from the “Rock the Boat” video shoot when the aircraft carrying her crashed after takeoff, killing the 22-year-old singer and eight others.
Barry alleges Jomo “failed in his responsibility” after being compensated to organize the travel. He claims the tragedy “may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination.”
The accusation is part of an increasingly personal dispute between father and son.
Jomo originally sued Barry and Blackground Records over proceeds from a settlement involving recording and publishing rights tied to artists including Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland.
Jomo says he was promised 12% of revenue from the music assets but alleges Barry kept him from receiving the full amount by hiding money and charging unrelated expenses. He is seeking more than $1.2 million.
Barry denies those claims and argues the settlement itself is invalid because of alleged fraud. He also claims Jomo threatened to release unreleased Aaliyah material during their financial dispute.
Jomo has denied wrongdoing.